PITTSBURGH, Pa. -
In the second game of a doubleheader Villanova (11-38, 2-18 BIG EAST) lost to No. 17 Pittsburgh (39-11, 17-3 BIG EAST) by a final score of 12-4 at Charles L. Cost Stadium on Saturday evening. The game was put out of reach when the Panthers scored seven times in the bottom of the fifth inning. Earlier in the day Pittsburgh scored a single run in the bottom of the ninth inning to win the opening game of the twin-bill by a 4-3 margin.

In the early innings it seemed that the game had a chance to become a back-and-forth affair. Senior center fielder Paul Rambaud (Chicago, Ill.) led off the game with a triple for the Wildcats and scored when senior second baseman Tyler Sciacca (Staten Island, N.Y.) hit a one-out sacrifice fly for a 1-0 lead.

Single runs by the Panthers in the bottom of the first and second innings gave them a 2-1 lead but Villanova left two runners on base in both the third and fourth innings to waste chances at tying the game or retaking the lead. Freshman shortstop Eric Lowe (Arlington Heights, Ill.) and senior left fielder Steve Schrenk (Brigantine, N.J.) each singled in the top of the third inning, while freshman third baseman Kevin Jewitt (West Chester, Pa.) walked and senior catcher Brandon Clark (Spring, Texas) singled in the top of the fourth.

Pittsburgh extended its lead to 4-1 with two outs in the bottom of the fourth inning when Boo Vazquez hit a two-run single with the bases loaded. In the bottom of the fifth inning the Panthers sent 11 men to the plate and scored seven times to make the score 11-1. The big hits in the inning were a three-run triple by Dylan Wolsonovich and a two-run home run by Elvin Soto, both of which came with nobody out in the inning.

Rambaud finished the game 2-for-4 with two runs scored after having three hits and a run in the opening game. Sciacca had two hits and drove in three runs thanks to his sacrifice fly in the first inning and a two-run double in the top of the seventh. His double and an RBI single by freshman pinch hitter Luke Emling (Nottingham, Pa.) made for a three-run seventh inning that accounted for the only runs the Wildcats scored after taking the 1-0 lead in the top of the first.

The rally in the seventh inning got started when Lowe bunted for a base hit with one out. Rambaud was hit by a pitch and Schrenk walked to load the bases for Sciacca, who hit a 1-1 pitch for a double to left field. Emling pinch hit for freshman first baseman Max Beermann (Tampa, Fla.) and hit a 1-2 pitch for an RBI single to left field. Emling also walked as a pinch hitter in the first game of the doubleheader and is now hitting .321 (9-for-28) on the season.

Pittsburgh starting pitcher Matt Wotherspoon (9-1, 3.05 ERA) struck out nine while allowing one run on four hits over six innings pitched to earn the win. Junior right-hander Pat Young (The Woodlands, Texas) started for the Wildcats and surrendered nine hits and seven walks in four-plus innings pitched. Young (1-8, 4.84 ERA) was charged with eight runs allowed.

The final game of the three-game series will be played on Sunday starting at Noon. The game will be televised live on the Comcast Network in the Philadelphia area (Channel 8, Channel 846 HD).

Live Broadcast | Live Audio | Live Stats | Game NotesA new location and a relatively unfamiliar opponent awaits Villanova (22-25, 7-8 BIG EAST) in the final series of the regular season, as the Wildcats travel to Creighton (27-17, 10-4 BIG EAST) for a three-game set at TD Ameritrade Park. The team arrived in Omaha on Wednesday evening and is set to play the series opener today at 12:30 p.m. Central time. Friday's game gets underway at 6:30 p.m. and Saturday's contest is slated for 1 p.m.